Everest-Bound Plane Crash Kills 19

Seven British, five Chinese, and seven Nepalese dead

A plane en route to the Mount Everest region crashed outside of Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all 19 people on board earlier today. Officials say that the Sita Air flight, which was headed to Lukla, a gateway for Mount Everest, came down minutes after taking off, crashing into the bank of the Manohara River, where it caught fire. No official cause of the crash has been determined, but after noticing a series of strange movements, air traffic control contacted the pilots, who said they had hit a vulture and were attempting to turn the plane around and bring it back to the airport. “The pilots seem to have tried to land it safely on the banks of the river,” said a police spokesperson, “but unfortunately the plane caught fire.” There were seven British citizens on board, along with five Chinese and seven Nepalese. This is the seventh fatal plane crash in Nepal since August 2010.